History

The first concert was performed in Boston on Sunday evening, July 17, 1977, in the Friends of Great Black Music Loft, a performance space for creative arts established by master percussionist Syd Smart. The concert developed through the collective efforts of Syd Smart, bassist Hayes Burnet, and saxophonist Leonard Brown. These musicians believed that:

1. Black African American musicians should exert leadership in perpetuating, expanding, enhancing and defining the musical traditions of Black African American people, and that

2. John Coltrane was one of the most remarkable musicians in history and worthy of a memorial tribute.

3. The community of both listeners and musicians has a continued deep and abiding interest in and love for Coltrane's music.

So they organized a concert honoring Coltrane that featured exciting, beautiful and moving renditions of his musical compositions. The attendance and response was so overwhelming that a decision was made to hold the concert annually. Since then, the John Coltrane Memorial Concert (JCMC) has gradually developed into a Boston tradition featuring many outstanding musicians.

Before coming to Northeastern University in 1986, the JCMC had several "homes". By the early 1980's it had outgrown the seating audience capacity of the Loft , moving to the Modern Theatre for one year and then to Emmanuel Church till 1985 when it was held at New England Life Hall.

In 1986, the JCMC came to Northeastern University through the efforts of co-founder Leonard Brown. In this year, Dr. Brown became a member of the faculty of African American Studies & Music. Working in collaboration with Sergei Tschernisch, then director of NU Arts, Dr. Brown was successful in relocating the John Coltrane Memorial Concert to Northeastern. It has remained here over the last 20 years, providing the NU and surrounding greater Boston community with memorable and meaningful musical experiences.

The annual John Coltrane Memorial Concert has a tradition of presenting world class musicians and creative artists at Northeastern. The list includes Bill Barron, Yusef Lateef, Phaorah Sanders, Frank Foster, Cecilia Smith, Terri Lyn Carrington, Ahmad Alaadeen, Shirley Scott, Cecil McBee, Alan Dawson, Andy McGhee, McCoy Tyner, Gary Bartz, George Russell, Bill Dixon, Kamau Adilifu, Danilo Perez, Giovanni Hildago, Manenque Hildago, Brother Blue, Michael Harper, Edith and Alvin Batiste, Nancy Ostrovsky, and Nat Hentoff.